Importance of IM Sub-internship for prelim year applications

[jd1031]

I'm an MS-3 at a DO school planning to apply to ACGME neurology residencies in the fall. Regarding IM prelim internships, how important is it to do a 4th year IM sub-internship early in 4th year and secure a LOR from that sub-I? I already completed 8 weeks of IM during 3rd year and have 2 LORs from those months.

I'm posting this in the neurology form too, because I want the perspective of someone in neurology. Thank you!

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[neurodoc]

Doing a 4th year IM sub-internship is not a pre-requisite for getting into a PGY-1 "pre-lim" program. You should be OK with your 3rd year IM course and (good) LORs. Doing the sub-internship would probably strengthen your application and better prepare you for PGY-1, which the ABPN requires to be a categorical IM program and not what used to be called a "transitional" year. It also depends on the specific Neuro program you are applying to. Some coordinate their "pre-lim" year and others don't.

 

[typhoonegator]

If you have two IM LORs already you should be OK. Certainly you're fine from a "requirements" perspective. But you're also a DO applying to ACGME programs, so depending on the rest of your portfolio, it might be helpful to add those grades and LOR to your application. Prelim years are a buyer's market.

 

[TUGM]

Actually, you can do still do a transitional year for PGY-1, but there are strict requirements for ACGME programs, including at least 6 months of IM. And preliminary years, even prelim medicine, are getting very hard to get. If this past match was any indication of competitiveness, I would definitely apply to MANY prelims.

 

[jd1031]

Thanks for the replies! Yes, they're good LORs (I did my IM rotations at hospitals with ACGME IM programs), and I'm applying to every prelim program in the locations I'm interested in.

 

[NyQuil]

To answer your question directly:

I matched to my first-choice prelim program at a very competitive institution in NYC; my sub-I was scheduled for April of my 4th year (I know), which was 1 month after match-day.

So I don't think that a medicine sub-I is imperative to matching at a good prelim, but keep in mind that I did very well at school and had excellent medicine letters, as suggested by the people above.

 

[jd1031]

To answer your question directly:

I matched to my first-choice prelim program at a very competitive institution in NYC; my sub-I was scheduled for April of my 4th year (I know), which was 1 month after match-day.

So I don't think that a medicine sub-I is imperative to matching at a good prelim, but keep in mind that I did very well at school and had excellent medicine letters, as suggested by the people above.

Cool that's good to hear. I'm in the same boat. I can't do my IM sub-I until February of 4th year.